Following the red devils 70's style

One day I can remember quite well was when we decided to visit Old Trafford, the home of England's Manchester United soccer team in the Spring of 1977 where we were given a tour around the stadium, got to meet a number of the players getting autographs and the then Manager Tommy Docherty.
A few of the players such as the Greenhoffs lived locally so while most people here support Port Vale there was much interest in their upcoming FA Cup final against Liverpool on May 21st and as it was 1977 by that Saturday afternoon we'd all sit glued to BBC TV's Grandstand program watching the match on our newly acquired colour television.
The match by tradition was played at the Wembley Stadium,Middlesex, just outside London which was refereed by Bob Matthewson.
The Liverpool side of that era is by consent one of the strongest ever including players such as Kevin Keegan so it was one match as excitable schoolboys we were looking forward to.
First to score was United's Stuart Pearson in the second half passing Ray Clemence.
Liverpool equalized with a goal from Jimmy Case which Alex Stepney was unable to stop and the final goal was by Lou Macari which ricocheted off Jimmy Greenhoff's chest looping straight into the net with Liverpool's Clemence and Phil Neal on the line.

They'd won 2-1 breaking a possible three successive wins for Liverpool! 
Lou Macari on third right in the picture later on went to manage Stoke City and is still active in the district. Gordon Hill is second right, while Tommy is in the grey suit and tie.
It remains a highlight of a memorable soccer season from childhood.

The Tween Regressor

This week I'm writing about age regression, specifically Tween age regression where once I was asked to write something for both boy and girl regressors but for a variety of reasons the project never went forward. 
Here it is as originally written.

Introduction
In the history of regression, we tended to hear more of the ‘Adult Baby’ or the ‘Little’  that went to around seven or eight years of age but their are an increasing number of Tweens (nine through thirteen) in the Agere Regressed world who are very much looking for a Caregiver type figure in their lives. Neither ‘littles’ although sometime we may do more ‘little’ things nor with the sophesticated personal lives of the Teen, we inhabit would that some might say is the ideal mixture of increasing understanding of the world but the ability to just enjoy fun for its own sake free from more grown up concerns using our greater freedom for adventures. We enjoy dramatized productions that are about our world on tv or at the theatre, or watching a movie but we love warm close relationships and the opportunity to share our concerns and worries to that caregiver. The greatest gift you can offer a tween regressor is unconditional  love.

Structure
Being a Tween is a world between that of of the Little Girl or Boy and that of sophesticated teens,a place  where we learn more of the world around us such as how we relate to each other, our responsibilities to ourselves and others in addition to our rights about our country and the world. We increasingly use our aquired skills and knowledge but we still have vulnerabilities and so need child-like protection.
Because of their disabilities, some Tween regressors may need help with remembering  things such as appointments, lectures, ‘chores’ and so on that a good caregiver will help  them with by using diaries, post-it’s or electronic notes and calendars.
For us then a caregiver is someone who doesn’t just love and cherish us, he or she uses their influence responsilbly to guide us which may involve setting rules, protocols and consequences. Some of us may have issues around boundaries that require very real handling (it’s not a game) or self esteem.
They not only work on our self confidence, but also in developing self respect, respect for others, authority and trustworthiness.
Because each Tween regressor is different it is very important they communicate what they feel able to consent to with their caregiver and that he or she respects them within that relationship. 

Attire
The individual tween will most likely have a keen sense of what they like wearing and what they don’t although for play and some outdoor activities practicalies come into play and so plain dresses or shorts may be more suited especially indoors and in the winter months outdoors layers may be needed. Dressing up for parties is something many of us enjoy.
One function for age regressors of clothing is to cast off their regular ‘adult’ look so they more resemble on the outside the Tween they feel so would wear disney, hello kitty or dinosaur T shirts and dress in a similar way. This helps the Caregiver too as they see their ‘tween’ as they feel aiding a naturally more child-like relating style. Some disabled Tweens may need help with dressing when it comes to fastening, buttons lifting over arms while others may be able to do it but do need reminding to.


Arts and Crafts
For the Tween Regressor,  there is a great delight in making things for yourself and in learning new skills that aids in building self esteem and confidence which for disabled tweens inparticular may be something they struggle with.
Many suppliers now offer kits either to make one specific item or materials such as felt, buttons, card structures such as picture frames while on the arts side, painting by numbers, freehand painting with child-safe paints on card or paper or scrape boarding are possible as is drawing. Just don’t forget to cover surfaces, supply aprons and have wipes ready afterward. 
Colouring is very much on the up as an activity even by adults who wouldn’t see it as regression and this has lead to a good number more advanced colouring books requiring finer hand-eye co-ordination to that of traditional colouring books aimed for younger children such as animals or disney princess so an older tween need not feel they’re doing something ‘babyish’.
Colouring is very relaxing and for disabled regressors can help develop and maintain fine motor skills that those of us with them need.

Play

Play is a magical time that’s not just about the actual activity we undertake but plays an important part in our socializing that as Tween Regressors we may struggle with which is why good play is so good for us disabled or not.

We learn things such as taking turns, resolving conflicting needs, the importance of keeping our spaces clear afterward and how to be a good friend, so it’s a good idea to play with others or if that isn’t possible for the caregiver to be in on it, perhaps taking a advisory role so the Tween Regressor is the on mainly playing but they’re interacting with him or her.

The nature of play is quite wide so where possible outdoor season play may be preferred such as building snowmen or snowball fights during the winter or ballgames and skipping in the spring and summer which nor only mixes fresh air with physical exercise but brings in work on building up attention spans and co-ordination. There are an increasing number of public ‘adult’ playgrounds that with discretion may be used for Tween Age regression.

There are times where indoor play may be more suited so things such as the building the ever popular Lego Kits either individually in a group setting before engaging in imaginative play with the now assembled kits can be hugly enjoyable.

Imaginative play with plushies or dolls still plays a part in the life of the teen regressor and as in the case of American Girl dolls can tie into looking into the past.

Despite the popularity of electronic gaming such as that on Games Consoles and “SmartPhones” or smaller computers, traditional board games such as Mousetrap, Snakes and Ladders  in addition to Monopoly still play an important part being really enjoyable to play together plus games such as  Trivial Persuit can help with learning facts and taking turns too.

If you have a group of Tween Regressors, setting up a table for ‘junior’ jigsaws with people in teams can be a good ice breaker not just being fun to complete but also getting people to work together and establishing a more co-operative feel.

Learning

Things a caregiver can help with is setting a nice distraction free environment for studying which may be routed in work set at college as part of regular studying where the Caregiver supports  through set work which ordinarily they may struggle to make good progress on.

For some it may be that a Caregiver may set some work similar to to that they did in school using study guides and workbooks in say everyday Math and English if they have a history of struggling with it to improve knowledge so boosting confidence. Also for some just having to spend a period focusing on one subject can help with building improved attentiveness finding structured activity of benefit.

Catching the bus

These three boys look pretty smart waiting for their bus to Prep School but in my area recently things have got a bit complicated with changes in the local bus services that do not appear to have been thought through.
Until recently all the services through our estate went from one common bus stop going clockwise or counter clockwise before continuing on but recent changes have some outbound services going opposite the bus stop with no indication of where you are to alight from.
Moreover it is on the end of a bus road junction as it joins the major A road where 'the powers that be' as I know from my 'adult' roles in the past were less than keen on having a bus stop.
We shall see if a new stop is put or changes made to the routes the next time I go out in my black school shorts, socks and white shirt!

I think I'll lay across the floor knees on carpet and play with this in the meantime as one of things I really loved to do as a boy was to drive things like toy cars and buses on imaginary journeys with people to whom I created something of a back story of.
This meant they'd be getting on and off for different things like shopping in the market square, going to school or work or taking a young child out for the day, stopping at the park.
It was like whole world I'd created.
Before I forget I'd like to thank everyone who read the blog last week, has followed the Tumblr all in the first week of going live and add I've helping dad out as he's a bit off his feet presently and we all know how important dads are to boys.
Next week I'll have something around age regression up on this blog.

Young teen looks

It was in many respects a different era and to a point even the differences between that and my parents own that in someways remain the overall abiding memories of being a first of all a teen boy and then as legally a young adult but in many respects very much still a child didn't share the same expectations and likes in them.
A good example of that was the in their world there wasn't what we call leisure wear just play or casual clothes then school or work clothes which were more formal by material and tailoring.
Like many boys of that era sporty looks had an appeal based on coolness and trickled in from sportswear that in the past you might of just kept for school PT or games although it wasn't all soccer tops and shorts plus I was never that into soccer.
No, what I really went for was tracksuits and trainers which was never really on the bought for you side from my folks when my school introduced me to them because they were more practical for having no buttons to fasten only one zip to pull up and needless to say because you had t shirts on underneath of them, no shirt and collar buttons to fasten too.
They became an kind of alternative  uniform outside of formal school wear removing the complexities of co-ordinating regular clothes with just having 'base layers' of vest, underpants and socks put on which all tended to be fairly plain.
The cut of tracksuits also matched my frame well being more long and thin so I felt good whenever I caught my reflection in them.

That Uniformed Schoolboy On Tumblr week

This last week, April 12th I have launched a Tumblr as it has been a very long time since I had anything to with social media to interact more with others who are interested in past childhoods especially boyhoods and also those who may be over the age of majority but are in lots of ways still schoolboys including the of wearing uniforms.

My Tumblr will be what is called 'Safe for work' although as term it's a bit hard to get my around as no one really has defined exactly what is safe for work or at least 'accepted' as most ideas like the idea of being in some ways more like a child aren't exactly awkward free conversations in the work place.

I'm reading it as being in the first instance as not about nor showing sexual material nor things that are connected to kinks such as "BDSM" and while I may mention spanking on here on the odd occasion, dropping it for ages unless I honestly have need to mention it, that's it, what I will say is there will be no images at all of  actual people being spanked on the Tumblr ever.

That's because when you do, it tends to bring more the kind of people I mentioned before and in any event for what the Tumblr is about it's not something I have a need to post where as here I do talk from time to time about adult schoolboy life although what you include in that is very much your own business.

My Tumblr is called The Traditional Schoolboy. 
Please do support it, thank you, C.

*Created April 12 2018, R.i.p April 9 2020, Wordpress version r.i.p June 16 2020*

Andy

When you move to a new school, it takes time to settle down not just into the formal structures of the school such as school break times, weekly Assemblies, and your years timetable but also the pupils and forming friendships.

 Andy never Andrew who lived near Tarporley soon became my best boy friend to the point we were almost inseparable always being in the sides when it came to joint activities such as games or playing together at recess.

Between us we run the form Chess Club during dinner time recess arranging with the stuff to have classroom access during the period and to share  wall place in the store room to keep or chess sets and help other boys and girls out cos we were very much for treating everyone as a equal.

Andy and I shared something else, we shared a few of our interests and attachments for that era with girls, we were very nurturing  to others especially anyone who we saw as vulnerable and although we were eleven and twelve year olds, we still very much loved cuddles and teddy bears.

We also did manage to borrow the girls skirts a few times trying them on too deciding they weren't us and like me outside formal lessons we both wore shorts so with hindsight we were both boys but just a little less conventional than most.

It was suddenly around April of 1977 after taking a day off, being at home, that I returned to school to start gazing out of the window only to be informed he'd died in his sleep.

I was very very heartbroken to hear this and indeed just typing this today makes me cry because I so loved this boy, a boy who was to use that modern expression a "soul mate" someone who I cared for and it has to be said returned it hundred fold.

This is for him, a boy never forgotten, by way of  tribute.

School Soccer and the boy

Something that was hard to avoid when I was at school was team sports cos you'd know before even getting as far as picking the team positions if anyone was missing and there was spare kit about so the old rouse of leaving your stuff behind wouldn't cut it.

 Team sports are one of the most gendered activities in school which amounted to if you were a boy you HAD to play soccer which had a full kit that you needed to change into which is taxing if like me you have dyspraxia struggling with pull over, fastening and tying things.

First on over your vest would be a thick red football jersey with long arms and white ribbed cuffs which is different than most today and did help keep you warm in the winter months.
Next on were your shorts which were next to your skin to prevent your school ones from get damp and muddy.

It was always taken by our headmaster.

 Our shorts in the 70's and especially early 80's were short being  cut high in the thighs with contrasting ribbing along the hip seams and my last pair worn for soccer were just like these.

Personally I preferred them cos it was it more easier to move in than the longer ones which started coming back from the mid 90's onward.

Then came on your thick stripped socks cos you just NEVER wore your regular socks cos again they'd soon get damp and muddy which is no good for regular lessons afterward.

 Then came you dedicated football boots with studs to help deal with muddy fields like our school ones but were laced up so I had to beg other boys to fasten mine up for me and in that era we didn't have elasticated laces that could be pre-tied and you were inspected before team selection.

Team selection if like me you were physically disabled always had the potentially to be very humiliating  as one of two teams of  boys first of all had to have you - and often they'd sooner not -  and then find a position in whatever team formation they chose to play and usually they put me in defence and the odd time in goal so you'd hope you didn't let anything in you could just about stop.

Defence could prove a taxing cos they'd long periods of nothing much happening when my attention could drift off to passing aircraft or traffic as the school field corner passed a major road with trucks passing along it that interested me more and that was when my tackling didn't result in a yellow or red card being issued that is if there's didn't leave me on the ground for minutes being unstable on my feet at best.

Afterward we had to clean ourselves up as we had no proper change facilities, just a cloakroom with water and towels and get changed for regular classes.

Looking back on it I do sometimes wonder just what my attempting to play the game was about as later on I moved to school that played disabled sport which while taxing was more suited to me.

The conclusion I came to was it was about learning to have a go at anything and about trying however imperfectly to integrate me in non disabled gender norms for boys, to give me a space I might let boyish things out and join other boys doing the same.

While I was more open to playing sports across the genders and of preferred to chosen sports I felt more at one with, ultimately I believe in its own way it was another example of my headmaster caring for me by treating the same as all the boys providing an identity which while not being perfect was at least an identity and a space 'to be'.

For that I'm grateful.